 Cherono at the 2013 World Championships | ||
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Women's athletics | ||
Representing Kenya | ||
| World Championships | ||
 | 2013 Moscow | 5000 m |
| Commonwealth Games | ||
 | 2014 Glasgow | 5000 m |
| World Junior Championships | ||
| 2008 Bydgoszcz | 3000 m |
| 2010 Moncton | 3000 m |
| 2010 Moncton | 5000 m |
| World Cross Country Championships | ||
| 2010 Bydgoszcz | Junior race |
| 2009 Amman | Junior race |
Mercy Cherono Koech (born 7 May 1991) is aKenyan professionallong-distance runner. She was the silver medalist in the5000 metres at the2013 World Championships in Athletics.
She is a two-timeworld junior champion in the3000 metres (2008, 2010) and has also won gold medals at the2007 World Youth Championships in Athletics and2008 Commonwealth Youth Games. She has been a success junior athlete incross country running, taking the silver medals in the junior team and individual competitions at the2009 IAAF World Cross Country Championships and improving to the gold medals at the2010 edition.
Cherono made her first international appearance at the2007 IAAF World Cross Country Championships inMombasa and she finished 23rd in the junior race.[1] She reached her first international podium at the2007 World Youth Championships as she ran a championship record time of 8:53.94 to win thegold medal in the3000 metres.[2] She had a successfulcross county season at the end of the year, taking 6 km junior race victories in three of theAthletics Kenya meetings.[3][4][5] She had back-to-back wins in the junior race at theTuskys Wareng Cross Country in 2007 and 2008.
She did not receive selection for the2008 World Cross Country Championships, but instead focused on track running. First she added a junior title to her youth 3000 m win, beatingBizunesh Urgesa in a time of 8:58.07 to win the gold at the2008 World Junior Championships inBydgoszcz,[6] and then she won the gold at the2008 Commonwealth Youth Games, running largely uncontested to set a Games record time.[7]
Her place on the Kenyan world cross country team looked uncertain in 2009 as head coach Julius Kirwa dismissed her chances, saying she had run too many races that season. Cherono replied by taking the lead immediately at the Kenyan Trials and winning the junior race by a margin of thirteen seconds.[8] At the2009 World Cross Country Championships inAmman, Cherono engaged in a race-long duel withGenzebe Dibaba in the junior race. Cherono took the lead in the final stages but a difficult stretch with a 40-metre climb enabled Dibaba to overtake her and Cherono ended up with thesilver medal.[9] At the2009 African Junior Athletics Championships, Cherono eased to the 3000 m title by some 13 seconds but found herself beaten again by Genzebe Dibaba in 5000 m race, finishing with the silver medal.[10] She competed on the senior track circuit that year and was third at theRieti IAAF Grand Prix, recording a personal best of 8:44.67 for the 3000 m.[11] She took third for a second time at theMemorial van Damme in September, recording personal bests in the1500 metres and2000 metres and beaten only by reigning world championsGelete Burka andVivian Cheruiyot.[12]
She won a junior cross country race on home turf in Kericho in late 2009,[13] but failed to reach the top three at the 2010 Kenyan Trials. Her fourth-place finish was enough to gain a place on the team for the2010 World Cross Country Championships.[14] Cherono rose to the occasion at the World Championships in Bydgoszcz, the same location as her 2008 World Junior win. She led with her Kenyan teammates for much of the race and she won by a margin of seven seconds, leading home a 1–2–3–4 victory for the Kenyan team. Despite the significant winning margin, she did not need to push herself to the victory, later saying: "In the second lap, I had a lot left".[15] She made her first outing on theIAAF Diamond League circuit in May, running a personal best of 14:47.13 for seventh in the5000 metres at theShanghai Golden Grand Prix.[16] At the2010 World Junior Championships in Athletics, Cherono became the first woman to retain the 3000 m junior title as she held off a challenge fromEmebet Anteneh to become the first gold medallist of the event.[17][18] She also won a silver medal in the 5000 m, finishing behindGenzebe Dibaba.
Taking to the senior circuit, she ran at theRieti IAAF Grand Prix in August and took second in the 3000 m behindSylvia Kibet, setting a new lifetime best of 8:42.09.[19] She turned her focus to senior cross country and won at the AK meet inKericho in November, while her sisterCaroline Chepkoech went on to win the junior race.[20] She was chosen as the most promising sportswoman at Kenya's annualSOYA Awards. In January 2011 she ran at theDiscovery Kenya Cross Country meet inEldoret, but misjudged her run and slipped into fourth place near the end.[21]
Cherono came thirteenth in the national senior cross country race in February 2011.[22] Although she missed out on a place for the world team, she headed to the newly created2011 African Cross Country Championships and won the gold in a medal sweep alongsideViola Kibiwot andDoris Changeywo.[23] Her cross country season ended with a top three finish at theTrofeo Alasport.[24] On the2011 Diamond League circuit she placed in the top three of the 5000 m at thePrefontaine Classic and theMeeting Areva. She was chosen for the Kenyan senior track team for the first time and came fifth over 5000 m at the2011 World Championships in Athletics.[25]
She began 2012 win with a sizeable win at theCampaccio cross country.[26] She missed her chance to run at the2012 Summer Olympics but was dominant on the track circuit that year: she won theHerculis,Athletissima andBritish Grand Prix2012 IAAF Diamond League meets and was runner-up at theLondon Grand Prix,Weltklasse Zurich andMemorial van Damme. A 3000 m personal best of 8:38.51 minutes came at the Herculis meet. After the track season she won theCross Internacional de Venta de Baños and theCross de Itálica.[27]
Cherono won the national trials for the 5000 m and went on to claim the silver medal in the event at the2013 World Championships in Athletics behindMeseret Defar.[28] On the2013 IAAF Diamond League circuit she was runner-up in the 1500 m at theMemorial Van Damme, runner-up in the 3000 m at theDN Galan, and placed in the top three of the 5000 m a both thePrefontaine Classic and theWeltklasse Zürich.[29] She returned to the Cross de Venta de Baños and won for a consecutive season.[30] On 19 August 2016, Cherono came in 4th place in the 5000m event at theRio Olympics in 14:42.89 out of a field of 17 runners.[31]
Cherono is fromKipajit village, nearSotik town. She started running while at Kipajit Primary School and later moved to Chelimo Primary School nearKericho and eventually Ngariet Secondary School in Sotik. She is coached by Gabriel Kiptanui and managed by Gabriel Rosa. She is the oldest of six siblings. Her younger sister Sharon Chepkorir is also a runner. Their father John Koech runs a training camp in Kipajit village.[32]
Cherono won the Most Promising Sportswoman of the Year category at the 2009Kenyan Sports Personality of the Year awards,[33] and repeated by winning the same category the next year.[34]
World U20 Champions in women's3000 metres | |
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| 3000 metres (1978–1994) | |
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| 5000 metres (1998–present) | |
African champions in women'scross country running | |
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